Top Five Owner-Handler Mistakes & How To Not Make Them

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278 – July, 2024

By Sandy Weaver

Watch the breed rings at any dog show and you’ll see them people who’ve spent good money entering their dog, yet they look like a hot mess in the ring. Maybe you know this person, or maybe you are this person. Read on for the top five mistakes owner-handlers make and how to help your friend (or you!) not make them.

1. Having an Unsocialized, Untrained, and/or Uncooperative Dog

Conformation dog showing is a team sport, with one half of the team being human and the other half being canine. You’ve seen dog shows on TV and it looks so easy–take your dog in the ring, stand still for the examination, run around, collect your ribbon, and soon you’ll have a Champion. The ease you see on TV is deceptive–you’re watching people who have been showing dogs for years, often decades, and they make it look easy because they’ve trained and practiced a lot. It is NOT easy. It takes training both halves of the team and lots of practice to make those two minutes in the ring look effortless. Long before you enter your first dog show, find a conformation training class. You can search for kennel clubs in your local area by googling (your city) Kennel Club. You can also try searching (your county), (your region) etc. if (your city) doesn’t work. Ask the people at your veterinarian’s office if they can put you in contact with a local kennel club. Ask the person you got your dog from if they know of training classes and kennel clubs in your area. Ask the person at the store where you buy dog food if they can help you find a training class. Ask anyone and everyone until you find a good training class. Join a kennel club. Start early. Take a puppy kindergarten class as early as possible so you and your dog will learn how to work together around other dogs. Then start taking conformation training classes so you’ll learn how to show off your dog’s virtues while minimizing the faults. You’re preparing for two minutes in the ring and the more training and practice you do, the better you and your dog will perform, and the better your chances of winning will be.

2. Being Unprepared

Click here to read the complete article
278 – July, 2024

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